*(Via JetMag) – An attorney for a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a black teenager said he is considering asking for a change of venue because of comments Mayor Rahm Emanuel made about his client.
Jason Van Dyke will appear in court Friday to formally hear the charges against him. He faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of official misconduct in 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s death. Van Dyke shot the teen 16 times in a 2014 shooting captured on a squad car video. The release of those images triggered protests, forced the resignation of the city’s police chief and put the entire Police Department under a wide-ranging civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
READ RELATED STORY: Chicago Cop (Jason Van Dyke) Who Killed Jaquan McDonald Free on Bond
Defense attorney Dan Herbert told The Associated Press he may ask for a change of venue because of remarks Emanuel has made in several public appearances.
“The mayor has continued to indict my client in the press and before the City Council for the last couple of weeks,” Herbert said. “So I imagine when I bring motion for change of venue, Exhibit A will be all the mayor’s comments.”
Get MORE of this AP report at JetMag.com.
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